Montgomery County in 2022 approved a $12.8 million contract with Naphcare for medical and mental health services at the Montgomery County Jail. This agreement, which expired on New Year’s Eve, included health care such as screenings, dental work, mental health addiction assistance and more.
In July, the Montgomery County commission revised its contract with Naphcare to replace four EMTs with four nurses in the intake portion of the jail.
This decision came after the jail reported multiple inmate deaths. Since the beginning of 2023, a total of eight inmates have died after being booked into the facility. This is more than what the facility saw in 2021 and 2022 combined.
This includes Steven D. Blackshear, 54; Aaron Dixon, 52; Amber Goonan, 41; Isaiah Trammell, 19; Amanda K. Campbell, 44; Gerald Ford, 47; Terry Clemmons, 47; and Douglas Sutton, 56.
Naphcare officials last year pointed to an increase in overdoses in the jail as a major contributor. County officials say they are satisfied with the care Naphcare provides and are taking steps to improve services at the jail to keep inmates safe.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
The 2024 Naphcare agreement includes a roughly 6% cost of living increase for Naphcare staff employed at Montgomery County jail.
Naphcare, an Alabama-based company, did not return a request for comment about its contract renewal in Montgomery County.
Members of a group that has called for a re-evaluation of health care at Montgomery County Jail following inmate deaths this year said they were disappointed in the county’s contract renewal with Naphcare.
Montgomery County Jail Coalition member Yvonne Curington, who also advocates for nurses, said incarceration is driven by societal issues like poverty and systemic racism. She urged county leaders to look toward deeper solutions at the jail.
“The social determinants of health are the determinants of everything,” she said. “As a society, we are obligated to do more.”
In late 2024, construction is expected to begin on a $20 million renovation of the older portion of Montgomery County Jail.
The jail will be cutting 226 general population beds out of its roughly 900 beds, then adding 100 medical and behavioral health needs beds as a part of the renovation. The jail currently only has 12 medical beds in the entire facility.
Naphcare chief psychologist Amber Simpler said during the county’s September announcement of the project that jails are often the first opportunity people have to connect with behavioral health or medical care providers.
Simpler said renovations at the jail could help people staying at the jail adhere to treatment, all while cutting back on the average jail stay time of inmates and the overall recidivism rate.
“These specialized care units allow for a much higher level of care that is efficient and focused and overall improves safety,” she said.
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